


Elevator AU

by jensenackals



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-04
Updated: 2015-05-19
Packaged: 2018-03-28 23:37:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3874174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jensenackals/pseuds/jensenackals
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>inspired by: saw you trying to hit the “door close” button in the elevator but I made it in and then I pushed every single button to make you later for work, but now we’re stuck in this fucking elevator as it stops at every single floor and I don’t know what to say other than “you started it” AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [AUs For when your OTP are both assholes](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/113011) by jonahryan.tumblr.com. 



Jo was already done with today, and it was only 8:36 am. She had only been able to find one of her favorite pair of pumps after searching her entire apartment for them and therefore had to change her entire outfit to match a different pair of shoes, her cat had thrown up by the balcony window just as she was getting ready to leave and a flood of tourists on the subway were blocking the door and she missed her stop and had to walk 4 extra blocks back to her destination.

She made her way through the front doors of the aged skyscraper, hoping her meeting with her late father’s financial advisor wouldn’t take as long as the last one. She was growing weary of all the different investment opportunities that were available to her father’s estate and today she was supposedly meeting with the head of a start-up that her father had been interested in before he passed away last fall.

She checked in at the security desk and received her visitor pass for the day. Sipping her coffee, she waited for the one of the two elevators that wasn’t out of order to show. She was exhausted from packing up more of her father’s storage units the night before and she had refused her mother’s help, knowing Ellen, she would just get nostalgic and start going through every box and telling a thousand different stories and actually not help Jo get anything done.

A sharp ding sounded through the atrium as the elevator arrived. She made her way into the lift, pressed floor 21 and leaned against the railing. Her migraine threatened a return when she remembered that her mother had suggested they clean out her dad’s old garage this weekend. 

“Hey! Hold the elevator!” She heard a deep voice call and she looked up to see a guy about her age in dark jeans and a sport coat hurrying down the hall. She rolled her eyes and quickly pressed ‘door close.’

As the doors shut, he picked up his pace and Jo raised her eyebrows in a half smirk knowing he would never make it.

Unfortunately, the man got his man bag in between the doors at the last second and they sprang open. God she hated when she was wrong.

“Seriously?” she asked the stranger in disgusted disbelief.

The guy looked at her with equal dislike as he stepped through the now open doors. “What, like this is your private elevator? Don’t you know office building etiquette?”

Jo rolled her eyes and moved toward the opposite wall to put as much space between her and the intruder as possible and the doors rumbled shut. The elevator started moving slowly upward and she noticed he was looking at her expectantly.

“What?” she asked sharply.

He gestured to the rows of buttons in front of her, “You are on the side of the buttons, you are suppose to ask me what floor.”

Jo scoffed and took another sip of her coffee, refusing. 

“Alright you know what..” He muttered and leaned forward and ran his entire hand down the wall until every single one was lit.

Jo turned to him slowly in absolute disbelief. 

“What!? You started it..” He said sounding like he believed he was completely justified in his actions.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. How old are you!?” She asked incredulously.

The man turned toward the doors as the elevator came to a stop at the 3rd floor and grinned in a very self satisfied way that made Jo want to smack him. She quickly pressed ‘door close’ and they moved up another floor.

They continued in this way up another seven floors and Jo considered getting off and taking the stairs but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction and the shoes she picked were not conducive to climbing up eleven flights. 

Every time they stopped she would lean forward and press ‘door close’ and glare at him. 

A couple more floors up and she started noticing little things about him during her routine scowl. He was incredibly handsome in the traditional way with a straight nose and strong jaw. He had green eyes, dark blonde hair, bowlegs, and he kept his eyes on his phone most of the time, only looking up to meet her scowl every one and a while. 

The doors opened at floor 14 and a woman in a light gray pantsuit got on. She leaned over to press a button, however, when she saw half the buttons already lit up, she looked between the two of them and then promptly got off on the next floor. 

“See what you’ve done,” The good looking asshole said as the doors closed behind pant suit woman. “Now she will have to wait until this thing goes all the way up to the top for her to go back down.”

“What I've done?” Jo said affronted. “You are the one who pressed every single floor!”

“Yeah,” He said throwing her a lopsided grin. “But I wouldn’t have had too if you had been a decent human being to start with.”

He was trying to be charming and Jo didn’t let it phase her. They rode in silence until, after what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached the 21st floor. She was ready to bask in the freedom of the brightly office, however, he moved toward the open doors at the same time and she stopped taken aback. 

“Oh,” he said, also seemingly surprised then gestured. “After you.” 

She threw him a suspicious scowl as she made her way to the receptionist. 

“Miss Harvelle,” The dark haired woman said brightly. “Mr. Singer has been expecting you.”

Jo forced her self to smile as she followed Bobby's assistant back toward a conference room and chanced one last glance at the nuisance from the elevator but his charming smile was gone and his face had gone a little pale. 

“Jo!” a gruff voice boomed as she entered the room.

“Hi Bobby,” she said smiling giving him a quick peck on the cheek. 

“Where have you been? I was expecting you 15 minutes ago.”

“Oh, I was running late and then some dick in the elevator pressed all the buttons.”

He chuckled, checking his watch and opened the file sitting in front of him. “Well I guess I’ll have to make this quick, we are suppose to meet with him at 9.”

Bobby de-briefed her on the business model and initial startup costs the company was projecting and even though it would be quite a bit of money up front, Jo was intrigued and interested to hear the pitch. 

She was grabbing a cup of coffee from the breakfast cart informing Bobby of her mom’s most recent non-decluttering escapade when the receptionist buzzed the speakerphone.

“Mr. Singer, your nine o’clock is here.”

“Thanks Jodi, send him in.”

Jo turned as the door opened and stopped dead as the jackass from the elevator walked in. He looked rather nervous and smiled sheepishly when he caught her eye and Jo’s mood increased dramatically. This was going to be fun.

“Hey Bobby,” He said warmly holding out his hand to shake. 

Bobby took it eagerly, “Dean! It’s great to see you son, this is Bill’s daughter, Jo” Bobby said motioning toward her.

Jo held out her hand trying to hold back her grin. 

“Sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier. I'm Dean Winchester.” He stammered and Jo tried not to be too self satisfied by how sweaty his hands were. 

“Oh not a problem,” She answered not able to stop herself. “I’m sure introductions are only reserved for decent human beings.”


	2. Chapter 2

Bobby looked between the two of them suspiciously, “What are you idjits yapping about?” 

“Shall we get started?” Jo said brightly, ignoring his question.

Dean’s nervousness seemed to melt away as he began his pitch for a Classic Car Limousine Service and Jo had to admit he gave a pretty compelling sell, especially when he presented his already existing fleet of 16 cars that ranged from 1932 to 1973. Jo’s father always had a soft spot for cars, she had inherited several of the classics he had collected over the years and had her own 68’ mustang that she considered her first born child. 

Despite Dean’s compelling pitch, thorough customer acquisition and detailed business plan, it was still quite a bit of money with not a whole lot of guaranteed return.

“I’m curious about the restoration aspect of your business,” Jo began, flipping through the business report binder in front of her. “There isn’t a whole lot of detail here. Do you have a mechanic or shop that you work with when you acquire a vehicle?”

Dean cleared his throat self-consciously, “Actually, I do most of the restoration and service myself. The garage in the warehouse district, where we store the cars, is equipped for paint, reconstruction and refurbishment and I have an upholstery guy that comes in to take care of everything else.”

Jo raised her eyebrows in surprise, she couldn’t picture this polished looking guy covered in dirt and grease. 

“So what is your background?” Jo tried to keep her voice light, like she wasn’t giving him the third degree. “How did you get into car restoration?”

“My father,” Dean said with a sad smile. “He owned a garage, back in Kansas, where I grew up. He taught me everything he knew.”

Jo knew the feeling; her father had been teaching her the ways of the world since she made her first profit on a lemonade stand when she was six.

“Well, I think that is all the questions I have for now.” Jo said closing her copy of the presentation and standing. “We will be in touch.”

Dean looked at Bobby for reassurance and who shrugged and stood as well.

“Thank you for hearing my presentation.” Dean said shaking Bobby’s hand and then turning to Jo. “It was very… interesting meeting you.”

He threw his messenger bag over his shoulder and smiled before leaving.

She looked over at Bobby who was watching her closely, “What did my father indicate was his desired investment?” She asked after dean had cleared the room.

Bobby laughed heartily, “Oh, I think Bill was planning on fully funding it.”

“Full!” Jo exclaimed, her old man really had lost it. “Are you serious? In a car service?!?” 

Bobby got a far off look and continued, “Yeah, Dean is the son of a real old friend of your dad and me.”

Jo eyed him warily, “How come I’ve never heard of him?”

“Now that,” said Bobby opening the door for her. “Is something you are going to have to ask your momma.”

“I’ll take another look at this,” she said gesturing with the report in her hands. “but I’m going to have to think about it.”

“Well,” Bobby sighed. “Ultimately the decision is yours but Dean is a good kid and he’s got a good eye for business. He made quite a name for himself at Northwestern by taking an old record store and turning into a hot spot for local bands. He made a pretty hefty profit off selling that place and has been using that money to fund his garage ever since.”

Jo made a non-committal noise in the back of her throat, she didn’t really want to be impressed with the douche from the elevator. She gave Bobby a quick hug and told her she would be in touch as soon as she made a decision.

…

She spent the next few days mulling it over. She tried not to let her initial meeting with Dean sway her decision, her dad always told her to get the facts and keep it professional but the more she thought about it, the more she couldn’t tell the difference between being annoyed to death by him or having a massive crush on him.

She had visited her mom the day after the meeting but Ellen didn’t seem at all interested in talking about the past. All Jo got out of her was that Dean’s father was named John and that he had been old marine buddies of Bill and Bobby. She was becoming increasingly impatient with the mystery of it all. 

Thankfully it was Thursday, which meant it was her night bartending at the brewery her father had invested in when she was just a toddler. She had started working there at 16 and continued wait tables when she would come home over breaks during college. That is where she met Ash, her best friend and now manager of the place. He still couldn’t understand why, as part owner, she continued to come in and work behind the bar, but Jo loved it. It was her one night a week where she could escape into other peoples’ lives and not have to worry about this investment or that. The place was rustic and old, it had been an old factory of some sort way back in the day and from the outside it looked like one good Chicago wind would blow it away but its where she felt most at home. 

She could still remember Ash’s father giving her the grand tour of the brewery when she was old enough, she remembered helping her mom by refilling waters on busy Saturday nights growing up but most of all she remember her dad sitting at the table in the way back every Sunday evening with an oatmeal stout and a bunch of paperwork from the week. She would curl up against his side and watch him go over numbers and figures for all his investments. Sometimes he would talk her through the expenses and revenues of the restaurant and other times he would sit quietly with his beer making little notes and scratches in the margins. No, Jo couldn’t imagine ever leaving this place.

She greeted the servers and kitchen staff before heading around behind the bar. She got to work making drinks and talking to the regulars and before she knew it a couple of hours had past and the kitchen was getting ready to close up for the night. She was slicing limes, talking to Chip, a beer fanatic who was probably 85 years old when she saw a vaguely familiar, dark blond head sit down at the far end of the bar. 

She meandered towards him, filling up a couple drinks along the way, before stopping in front of him and sliding him a drink menu.

“Come to bother me at work too?” She said mischievously.

Dean held up his hands in mock surrender. “I come in peace.” He said tossing her a devilishly handsome grin.

“What can I get you?” said Jo, her bartending nature kicking in.

Dean looked at a menu briefly and then up at the board. “What would you recommend?”

“Depends on what kind of beer you like..” She said and then proudly described the different brews they had on tap.

“Surprise me.” He said handing her back the drink menu.

She poured him a glass of their amber ale, one of her personal favorites, and slid it towards him waiting for his reaction at the first taste. She loved guessing people’s drinks, it was a point of pride with her that she was almost never wrong.

“So what’s a girl like you doing in a dump like this?” he asked bringing the glass to his lips.

“I own it.” She said simply and he choked on his beer.

“Wow,” he coughed and put the glass down dramatically. “I really can’t catch a break with you.”

She laughed lightly and handed him a napkin.

“Bobby failed to mention that when he said you’d be here tonight.” He said wiping his chin.

“Are you stalking me?” Jo asked feigning horror as she grabbed plates and glasses from the place where a young couple had just left.

“I prefer to call it research.” He said smiling behind his glass. He took a sip and looked impressed. “This is fantastic!”

“I will pass that on to our brewers.” 

She dumped the dishes in the back and had to check on her other customers before heading back down the bar to where Dean was watching Sports Center intently. She tried not to let it show that her breath caught in her chest a little when he looked up and smiled at her.

“Still like the beer?” She asked trying to sound nonchalant.

“Yeah!” he said quickly. They held eye contact a little longer than Jo felt comfortable but thankfully Ash chose that time to come through the back.

“Hey Darling,” He said giving her a quick side hug. His galoshes were covered in beer and his mullet had yeast in it. 

“Tough day today?” Jo asked chuckling following him back toward the taps. 

“Nothing I can’t handle.” He said clearing his throat in his typical macho way. Ash poured himself a beer and took a long chug. “Whose the guy?” Ash asked quietly nodding in Dean’s direction.

“Some idiot I’m thinking about investing in.”

Ash grunted, finishing his beer in another long gulp. “You and your projects.” He said scoffing.

Jo punched him lightly in the arm, “Watch yourself, you were one of my projects.”

Ash smiled affectionately and refilled his glass. “How’s your mom doing?”

“Same old I guess, she still refuses to get rid of anything of my dad’s.”

Ash nodded appreciatively. “She’ll come around. It’s got to be hard for her.”

“Yeah. Well.” Jo said wanting to change the subject. She grabbed a rag and began wiping down the bar. Ash did a couple more quick things behind the counter then went down to the basement to re-tap a keg for her. 

It was almost closing time and Dean was still hanging around, she figured he came here for a reason and just hadn’t gotten around to it. She let the last server leave and began closing down the cash register and turned up the music. 

“So uh-“ He called from his spot at the bar. “Are you doing anything later?”

She smiled at him over her shoulder. “At 10:30 on a Thursday?”

“Yeah... maybe you’re right.” He said finishing his beer. “You know I have a confession to make.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“See, normally I’d be hitting on you so fast it’d make your head spin but... these days...”

Jo stayed quiet watching him closely with narrowed eyes.

“I don’t know- wrong place, wrong time.” He took out a $10 and left it on the bar and smiled before standing up. “I did want to apologize though, for the other day. I was being childish, it’s one of my many flaws.”

Jo nodded cordially. “Apology accepted.”

Dean stood there looking at her and she stared back bewildered.

“Nothing?” He said teasingly. “You don’t want to get anything off your chest?”

“I stand by shutting the doors on you.” She laughed and continued jokingly. “I was already running late and I had a really rough morning.”

“Oh man,” he chuckled, scooting his stool underneath the bar. “Well it was good seeing you anyway.”

Jo watched him leave and she felt more confused than ever. Her dad would be rolling over in his grave if he knew she was considering investing in a company where she had a crush on it's point man. However, her father had indicated that he had been interested in financially backing the business before his death. She shook her head trying to clear it and decided she needed to talk to Bobby.


	3. Chapter 3

Jo called Bobby’s office early Friday morning to see if he would want to grab lunch with her, he readily agreed and suggested the brewery, he always did love their pizza.

She got there two hours before she was supposed to meet Bobby, hoping she would catch Ash while he was still working.

Her apartment wasn’t far and she was grateful for the twenty-minute walk in the busy Friday morning city to help her clear her head from her restless night sleep. Her dreams had been distant memories of her father and several nightmares that all involved her disappointing him in some way or another.

She used the back entrance and knew immediately that Ash was in full beer making mode by the Lynyrd Skynyrd that was blasting through the sound system. She was switching her boots out for galoshes when he noticed her and turned the music down.

“I didn’t know you were coming in today.” He called from behind a fermentation tank.

“I meeting Bobby for lunch," she called back and made her way over to where he was taking a sample from one of the tanks. “Mind if I hang out for a while?”

He eyed her closely, “What’s on your mind Jo?” he asked sounding concerned.

She rolled her eyes and sat down on an upturned bucket. “Why does something have to be on my mind?”

“Because,” he said going back to work, “You only come in here when you got something on your mind. So, spill.”

“Are you saying,” Jo said in mock outrage. “That I can’t come in and hang out with my best friend without an agenda? I can’t believe you would think so low of me.” 

Ash chuckled and took his sample over to a testing station. Ash always knew when something was bothering her, and she knew she couldn’t hold in her fears forever but it just seemed so hard to voice them, it made them seem to real.

“Did you decide to invest in that guy who came to visit you Thursday night?” Ash called behind him as he tested his next batch. 

“That’s what I’m meeting with Bobby about.”

Ash nodded his head in comprehension, checking his pH balance. She watched him work for a few minutes in silence trying to drum up the courage to admit her fears.

“Do you think I’ll ruin my father’s legacy?” she asked her voice cracking.

“What?” Ash said turning to face her. “Of course not. Why would you think that?” 

“I don’t know.” Jo paused. “If I decide to go through with this, it will be the first major investment I’ve made since he-“ Jo put her face in her hands not able to finish the sentence. 

“What if I screw up?" She said looking up at him fearfully. "What if I lose everything he’s worked for? What if-“ 

Ash cut her off coming to kneel in front of her, “Jo why would you think you would screw it up. You know this business inside and out. You were helping your dad make decisions on who to finance while you were still in pigtails.” 

He wrapped her up in his arms and Jo felt a small weight being lifted off her. She buried her face in his shoulder holding back the burn of tears behind her eyes. She hadn’t realized how much her confidence had been shaken since her dad died. She didn’t realize how much she needed someone to believe that she could do it. 

“Come on, how could you think you would screw this up? You’re the second smartest person I know.” Ash said giving her a light kiss on the top of her head. 

“You being first?” She said smiling back at him. 

“You’re damn right I am. Now help me move these bags of barley.” 

They spent the next hour starting a season brew that would be ready in a few weeks. Ash singing along with the scratchy radio and Jo watching him work, occasionally assisting when he asked.

"Oh!" Ash called to her as she was pouring hops into a gigantic bin. "I have a band for us to check out tomorrow at Pig Nose Pete's."

Jo wrinkled her nose, "They better be a hell of a lot better than the last gig you dragged me too." Jo almost gagged as she recalled the horrible ACDC cover band that Ash had suggested a couple weekends ago.

"They are!" he said quickly trying to calm her fears and she scoffed not believing him for a second.

… 

Jo was sweaty and dirty when she went out to the front of the restaurant to meet Bobby. 

She found him toward the back, tucked away in a booth. 

“Hey Bobby!” she said sitting across from him. “Thanks for meeting with me.” 

“Anything for you sweetheart.” He said in his gravelly voice but he hid a smile hiding behind his scruffy beard. 

“So I’ve been thinking a lot about the investment, and I was wondering how involved I would be in the decision making?” 

“Well,” said Bobby thinking. “If you chose to invest the amount we discussed, you would be the second largest shareholder after Dean, therefore would have a considerable amount of influence over financial and operational decisions.”

“Would there be any other shareholders?” Jo asked curiously. 

Bobby pulled out Dean’s presentation and thumbed through it. “I believe the only other person with capital invested is Dean’s brother, Sam.” 

Jo nodded thoughtfully. It was a tricky situation getting involved with family businesses. If things went south, usually the outsider was ganged up on and eventually forced out. 

Bobby let her sit quietly, calculating the risks. 

“Well I am not going to pretend that I’m not interested.” Jo said putting on her best game face. “I’d like to tour their garage and meet some of the staff before I give it a firm yes but I think we should let Dean know that we would like to continue talks.” 

Bobby positively beamed. “I’ll draw up some sample contracts for you to look at first thing Monday. Do you want to call Dean or should I?” 

“You can call him.” Jo said waving the waitress over and noticed Bobby pulling out his phone. “Woah, you’re going to call him now?” 

“Why not..” Bobby said shrugging and Jo rolled her eyes ordering her and Bobby’s usual green pepper and Canadian bacon pizza. 

“Dean!” Bobby boomed and waggled his eyebrows at her. “I just spoke with Jo and she is very interested.” 

Jo heard a shriek of joy on the other end and raised her eyebrows trying to hold in a laugh. She heard Dean’s muffled voice talking quickly and kept her eyes on Bobby trying to discern what he was saying. 

“Yeah, I’ll get with you first thing Monday to set up some times. Here she is-” Bobby said through a lopsided smile and reached out to hand her the phone and Jo resisted the urge to roll her eyes again. 

“Hello.” She said taking the phone with chagrin. 

“Hi Jo,” He said breathlessly. “I’ll be around the garage all next week if you want to stop by, I can show you around and you can meet the guys. Feel free to bring any questions or concerns you might have and we can sit down and hash it out.”

“Sounds good.” She said brightly.

“And my brother will be in town so you can meet him as well.”

“Great, I am looking forward to it. See you next week.” Jo hung up the phone and handed it back to Bobby.

“Did he say Sam would be in town?” Bobby asked.

“Yeah, I guess, What do you know about him?”

“Good kid, he is in Law school at Stanford, has a pretty steady girlfriend..” Bobby continued and Jo ate their pizza and listened to him talk. Mostly about the Winchesters and what Bobby knew about them. 

Jo learned that their dad, John, had passed away a couple years ago and their mom was still in Kansas. Bobby, however, glossed over how they knew each other. He matched her mom’s story of them being old marine buddies but didn’t go into any detail. 

Her curiosity was growing about her father and John’s past the deeper she dug.


	4. Chapter 4

Jo walked into the run-down bar in search of the mullet clad head she was suppose to be meeting. She was honestly over dressed for the dive but she didn’t care. She had her hair down in its usual curls and she had finally found her favorite pair of heels so she had donned her little black dress to celebrate.

She made a lap around the place but couldn't find Ash in the Saturday night crowd, so she parked herself at the end of the bar and ordered a drink.

The flyer on the bulletin board boasted a hometown Chicago band that would be playing tonight and she was hoping for a good time. She hadn’t been out on the town in a while.

She was in the process of shutting down a guy who had thrown her the cheesiest pick up line of all time when Ash finally showed.

“And might I suggest,” Jo said turning to the man on the stool next to her. “A little less forethought next time, women can tell when you have rehearsed.”

She gave him a quick wink and headed toward the other side of the stage where Ash had already gotten a beer.

“Thank God.” Jo said in greeting. “You know I don’t know why I expect a higher caliber of men when I leave it to you to pick the bar.”

Ash scoffed. “I don’t know why you expect not to get harassed, especially when you come looking like you walked out of a Carey Grant movie.”

Jo smiled at the backhand compliment but raised her eyebrows, “Just because I look good doesn’t give them the right to try and claim me.”

“Fair enough.” Ash said shrugging and did a quick scope of the bar while Jo finished her whiskey. 

“Oh shit.” He said quietly.

“What?” Jo said turning to where he was looking.

“Nothing. Just act normal.” Ash said quickly but moved to put himself in front of her.

“What the hell is it?” She asked frustrated.

Ash looked behind him worried. “It’s Gordon.” He groaned.

“Shit.” Jo said under her breath. Gordon Walker was her ex and a stone’s throw away from a psychopath.

“Just act normal.” Ash said again, “I don’t think he saw us.”

Jo peeked around him cautiously and saw Gordon prowling across the floor looking as wild and intense as ever.

“You know I still don’t get what you saw in him.” Ash said scornfully.

“Oh don’t give me that.” Jo said equally displeased. “He was my first boyfriend, I didn’t have anything to compare his insanity to, I just thought it was normal and I was so excited to be out on my own for the first time, I just ran with it.”

Jo shuddered to think what would have happened if her mom hadn’t tracked her down that spring break of her freshman year of college. 

Ash shook his head and moved them further behind the stage. “Do you want to leave? I’ll walk you home..”

Jo looked at him seriously, “Ash my life doesn’t just stop when he shows up. I can’t keep burying my head in the sand every time I run into him. Besides, I don’t want to miss the show.”

Ash nodded but kept his protective stance between her and the crowd. Jo chanced a glance over his shoulder and saw a heartbreakingly handsome face heading toward them.

“No way..” Jo said smiling in spite of herself.

“Hey Jo!” Dean called leading a small group of people behind him.

Jo stepped around Ash and shook her head good-naturedly. He was wearing dark jeans and a Van Halen t-shirt.

“You sure you aren’t following me Winchester?”

He grinned, “Scout’s honor… or whatever.” 

He held her gaze until a girl with curly blonde hair behind him cleared her throat.

“Oh right,” He said awkwardly and gestured to the tall kid behind him. “Jo this is my brother Sam, his girlfriend Jessica and my buddy Cas.”

Jo shook their hands in turn and then introduced Ash.

“I’m not her friend,” Ash told them seriously, also shaking hands. “She’s my boss.”

“Oh shut up.” Jo said swatting him lightly in the stomach and continuing. “Like you do anything I tell you to do anyway.”

“Fair point.” Ash said smiling and took a long drink from his beer.

“It’s really great to meet you!” The kid called Sam said brightly. “Dean hasn’t shut up about you.”

Jo smiled doubtfully and looked at Dean out of the corner of her eye, he looked as confident and self-assured as ever, in spite of his brother’s attempt to embarrass him.

“So what brings you out tonight?” Dean asked her and Ash brightly.

“Ash drags me to every tribute band gig within a 30 mile radius.” Jo said teasingly. “What about you guys?”

“Sam and Jess are visiting before they go back to Palo Alto in a couple weeks.”

“Stanford?” Ash asked impressed.

“He’s Law, I’m nursing.” Jess said warmly.

“How about a round before they start!” Dean said gesturing to the guys who were now checking the mics and instruments on the stage.

Everyone agreed and Dean went to the bar to grab some beers. Ash continued asking questions about Sam and Jess's life in California and Jo caught Cas’s eye. 

"Are you from around here?" He asked politely.

"Born and raised." She said proudly. "You?

"Same." He said, although he didn't sound as excited about it a she was.

"Where did you go to high school? Maybe I've seen you around?" 

"I went to Lake Forest." He said bitterly and Jo immediately understood his surly tone. Lake Forest was one of the most elite and expensive boarding schools in the metro area. If he went to Lake Forest, his parents must have been extremely wealthy. 

“If you don’t mind me asking-” She said trying to change the subject, but before she could continue he cut her off.

“What kinda name is Cas?” He said finishing her question and she laughed.

“You get that a lot huh?”

He groaned good-naturedly. “My full name is James Castiel Novak. I went by James for most of my life until this clown-” He said gesturing to Dean who had returned with beers. “and I met at northwestern. He started it and it just stuck.”

“Well you are a dorky guy Cas,” Dean said amused. “You need a dorky name.”

Cas rolled his eyes but Jo could tell he really didn’t mind the nickname.

The band did a quick sound check and then greeted the crowd to boisterous applause before beginning their set.

Jo sang along with most of the songs as the band covered the popular bands from the late 60's and early 70's. Ash had wandered over to a group of women who were all to happy to laugh at his terrible jokes while Cas and Jess were laughing about a drunk guy who had attempted to smell Sam's hair. 

She clapped along with everyone else as the band finished up a Journey song and the pianist began playing a familiar tune.

“I love this song!” She shouted and Dean’s look of absolute revulsion made her double over with laughter. 

“REO Speedwagon?” He said in loathing.

“Damn right REO!” She said leaning closer to him. “Kevin Cronin sings it front the heart.”

“He sings it from the hair.” Dean said smiling. “There's a difference.”

She ignored him and sang along completely off key and Dean rolled his eyes but she found an ally in Jess who joined her much to Dean’s chagrin.

She was in the middle of a laughing with Jess and Dean about Sam’s stoic demeanor when she felt a hand grasp her upper arm. She turned to find herself nose to nose with Gordon and she swallowed, struggling to find her voice.

“Hey Jo,” He said intensely. “Long time.”

She looked into his dark eyes for a moment and then immediately felt Ash at her elbow. “Let go of her Gordon.”

“Nice to see you too.” Gordon said sarcastically but he released her arm.

“We don’t want any trouble Gordon.” Jo said seriously not taking her eyes off him.

He ignored her comment and inclined his head in Dean’s direction. “Got yourself a new guy?”

“It’s none of your business if I do.” She said growing angry. She hated the fact that he acted like he owned her.

She felt Ash take a step closer to him and she placed a hand on his chest to hold him back. “Gordon we are having a good time. Please leave us alone.”

He looked down at her like she was a delicious meal he was just waiting to devour but then shrugged, "I know when I'm not wanted." he backed away slowly, not taking his eyes off her and disappeared into the crowd.

She turned toward Ash and swatted him upside the head. “You gonna take Gordon? What the hell man?”

“Who was that guy?” Sam asked looking like he was ready to spring to action.

“My ex.” Jo said purposefully avoiding Dean’s piercing stare.

“I think he left,” Cas said, his eyes in the direction of the door.

Jo let out an involuntary sigh and nodded appreciatively, still looking anywhere but at Dean who hadn’t taken his eyes off her. 

“You good?” Ash asked placing a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m fine.” She said annoyed that this had interrupted their night. She smiled convincingly as Ash looked like he was going to ask her if she was sure. “I’m fine! I promise... Do you think the band would play Styx if I requested it?”

She heard Dean groan and she finally chanced a glance at him. “We really need to evaluate your taste in music.”

…

Jo smiled as Ash leaned in close with a brunette on his arm who was, frankly, way out of his league. 

“You gonna make it home okay without me?” He slurred in her ear

“Go!” She said laughing and he gave Jo a quick side hug and whispered a drunken goodbye before moving with the stranger toward the door. She laughed a little to herself turning back to the small group of people gathered around the stage. 

“Where did your friend go?” Cas shouted over the blaring speakers of the encore performance.

“He found a rendezvous partner for the evening.” Jo said with a wink and Cas nodded appreciatively. 

“I think I am going to head out as well,” She said checking her watch and seeing that it was well past 1:00 in the morning.

Dean was still talking with some people he knew on the other side of the crowded dance floor and she didn’t want to interrupt his conversation. Jo bid Sam and the others goodnight and Jess gave her a quick hug before she made her way out the front door. 

She smiled at the ground as she walked out the door and down a side street toward her apartment. In spite of her brief run in with Gordon she had had a really good time tonight. She cut down an alley and was thinking back to Dean’s horrified face as she began to sing along when the band played Come Sail Away, when her vision went white as something slammed into the side of her face and she fell hard.

Her vision blurred and spinning, she looked up to see Gordon looming over her, his hands balled into fists at his side. He reached down and grabbed both of her shoulders, picking her up and slamming her into the brick wall. 

“You think you can just flaunt your new boyfriend in my face...” He said his voice low and steady.

“Gordon-“ She stuttered. She could feel a cut on her lower lip and her temples were throbbing.

“I wasn’t flaunting anything. We are just friends.” She was trying to match his steady tone to keep him from snapping, he had always been a bit unhinged but had never been physically violent with her. She looked him straight in the eye taking even breaths trying to buy herself some time until she could find an escape. 

“Give me a break.” He said squeezing her arms tighter and leaned in close whispering, “You used to look at me like that.”

His hot breath on her ear made her cringe and she decided she’d had enough of being his rag doll. She brought her knee up hard between his legs and he doubled over coughing and she took advantage of his momentary vulnerability and drove her elbow down, connecting it with the side of his face.

“HEY!” a deep voice called and she turned to see Dean at the other end of the back street. Her stomach dropped. Gordon had turned toward him with a smirk on his face and Jo knew he wouldn’t think twice about beating Dean to within an inch of his life. 

Jo hurried back up the alley to get between the two of them and held a hand up in each of their directions. Dean was walking towards Gordon slowly, looking between the two of them. 

“Did he hit you?” Dean called. “Did you hit her?” He added sounding enraged.

“What are you going to do about it?” Gordon said in a deadly voice, drawing himself up to his fullest height and they both took another step toward each other.

“Alright everybody just stop.” Jo shouted and turned to her ex and gave him her most murderous scowl. “Gordon I swear to god- Leave now or I'm calling the cops.”

She was glad to see his nose was bleeding from the blow she had directed at his face and there was flicker of doubt in his eyes as he looked Dean up and down. 

They stared at each other for another long minute before Gordon scoffed.

“This isn’t over Jo.” He added quietly before throwing a death glare at Dean. He turned and stalked quickly down the side street and faded into the darkness. 

Jo let out the breath she had been holding and turned to see Dean seething. “Why did you let him go? You have to press charges!” 

Jo tried to shake her head but the adrenaline that had been pumping through her was fading and she suddenly felt nauseous. 

“Jesus,” He spat as she stumbled to the side a bit and he caught her arm. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” She said reaching out to brace herself on a dumpster.

“No, you’re not fine.” Dean said gently tilting her chin to the side so he could inspect the side of her face. “You probably have a concussion.”

Jo tried to shake her head again but stars popped up to obscure her vision.

“Come on,” He said quietly, putting a hand around her waist and leading her back toward the bar. “Let’s get you out of here.”

**Author's Note:**

> i am considering continuing this quite a bit further.. like possibly 10 chapters further.. who knows


End file.
